Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-03-03
CHARACTER IN HANDWRITING.
A Hotel Clerk who Fakes "a Peculiar
View of the subject.


lis il not indeed true that there is
character in handwriting, especially in
that you find in hotel registers
But why especially on hotel regis
tersI"
because il is in writing his name in
them that the nature Of the nan more
truly shows itself. When a tImid man,
and especially one who is not much used
to travelling. enters a big hotel, perhaps
in company Of n dozen others who are
bound ON a similar object, and walks up
to the counter 10 register he is to n GER
tain extent inundated, and consequently
not n complete master of his actions. His
discompo,urc shows itself instantly To us
who stand behind the counter. and be-
trays itself TO even others who may lie
near when he writes his name in the
book. A glance AT his signature is
cnough To settle the question, and the
man himself feels Ill ut ease until he is
assigned To his room and is rilutcl out
of the crowd. And ever though the
man may become a pretty constant trav-
clcr. IL is unlikely that he will ever over
come his tendency 10 rvousn on this
account. There are a good many men Of
that stamp going about the world.
.'On the other hand. there is a certain
number Of men who. while not what you
might call timid, are naturally Of a rctir-
ing disposition. Such men, when they
come into 4 hotel to register. brace them
selves. as il were, for an ordN. and con-
sequcntly when they write their names
in the book they overdo the thing and
give themselves dead away They are
altogctlicr too bold. and we see right
through their assumed courage"
"But how about the really hold and
self-possesScd mani"
''Oh, the self-possessed man cares
nothing for surroundings. and writes his
name as llacidly and unconccnedly in a
crowd as lac would in his study. office or
counting room. We can Instantly de-
tect the confident, sef-possessed man,
and then again, you see, our register
demonstrates lis value"
''Can you always detect the successful
man!"
almost invariably. Not so much,
however, by his actual signature in our
book as by his manner of writing it.
There is a self contained. self satisfied
air about his Of handling the pcn
and a pride in the signature itself that
show themselves to us at once, and which
are scarcely ever deceptive
How about the unsuccessful men,
"Oh, its the same. We can tell them
nine times out of ten by their behavior
in registering. ! tell YOU, my boy, the
hotel counter applies a crucial test to in
dividuals."
Does your theory apply as well to
women as to men,
"Ah! | thought you'd come to that.
Well, yes and no. But does any theory
apply TO women: Well. women, you
know-blcss their little hearts! women
are different from men,"
''Inlecd."
Don't interrupt me. | mean thai
wOmen-well. their handwriting is differ,
cnt from that Of men. There is not so
much individuality to it, / think, and
YOU have TO judge more from their
manner-from themselves, so 10 speak"
Here the clerk. having nearly choked
himS'lf with tooihpicks during his frantic
attempts at explanation. was mcrcifully
relieved from furthcr suffering by a
fresh arrival. The latter was a fine look.
ing man, OF commanding stature and dis
tinTiished appearance, who was greeted
by the hotel clerk with respectful cor
dialiiy. and who inscribed his name in
firm, uncompromising characters upon
the register. That name is one of the
best known in the Union, and its bearer
is a senator Of the United States. The
man and name fitted one another per-
fectly in his case. The one was clearly
Indicative of the other. Hotel Gazette.